Antiquities Sharing Between Telangana, Andhra Pradesh in Limbo
Hyderabad: More than a decade after the formation of Telangana, hundreds of antiquities, including hole-marked coins, Ikshvaku period (225-340 AD) relics and Nizam-era weapons, remained in Andhra Pradesh, awaiting partition between the two Telugu-speaking States.
A total of 1,130 ancient artifacts have not yet been divided into two. These include guns, weapons, coins, Bidriware, paintings and bronze objects. The determined list includes 51 textile works, 36 stone sculptures, 473 bronze sculptures, 90 palm leaf manuscripts, 73 manuscript works and weapons from the Nizam and British periods.
The objects purchased and offered include 209 Harappan statues, wood carvings, terracotta figurines, 13 Bidriware pieces, four porcelain and chinaware, and 5,610 coins, which were acquired for their uniqueness. The list also includes 1,356 paintings of historical importance, including works purchased from the Hyderabad Art Association.
Before bifurcation in 2014, undivided Andhra Pradesh housed 3,23,331 artefacts dating from prehistory to the 19th century. Under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act, 2014, these antiquities were to be shared between the two States, with a committee constituted to oversee the process.
Reconstituted bifurcation committee member Dr. “The antiquities were planned to be divided into three categories. In Phase I, the stored antiques were segregated. While the exhibited antiques could not be segregated under Phase II, Phase III covered the objects purchased or received through donations, divided on a zone-wise basis,” explained P. Nagaraju.
According to the rules set in 2020, antiques belonging to the Nizam period (1914-1956) are exempt from division. However, works dated from 1 November 1956 to 2 June 2014 must be divided into two in the proportion specified in the Law.
The Telangana committee, which was first formed in 2018, was reconstituted in 2025 following the death of a member. Andhra Pradesh, which will receive 49,136 antiquities from Telangana, also formed a new committee recently.
Telangana Heritage Department director Prof. K. Arjun Rao said the department was ready to be bifurcated, with committees of both the States holding regular review meetings.
